On March 8th, the Dartmouth School Committee heard from members of Mashpee, Pocasset, and Aquinnah tribes about the harms of Native American mascots and related imagery. Several members of the Aquinnah spoke in support of the mascot and one member spoke against it.
On March 22nd the School Committee offered an opportunity for general public comment. All things considered, this sparsely-attended meeting was relatively calm and respectful although several members of one group of mascot supporters verbally attacked members of the Committee, threatening them with everything from election challenges to recalls.
On the other side, community members, parents and students, including several members of the NAACP New Bedford Branch and Youth Council, called for retiring the mascot. Speakers on both sides of the issue agreed on the importance of involving Southeast Massachusetts tribes in creating curriculum for the schools, and NAACP President Dr. LaSella Hall proposed creating a Town task force to constructively honor Native Americans through institutions besides the schools.
But, as is increasingly the case, verifiable fact and research were questioned. It was frustrating to hear from some speakers that no tribes are offended by mascots when there have been many statements to the contrary. It was frustrating to hear one professor (not in the social sciences) mischaracterize research showing the harmful effects on Native Americans — when in fact there is a large body of work showing that many types of cultural mis-appropriation are harmful. More to the point, most indigenous people simply don't appreciate it.
Regardless of the outcome of the April 5th referendum, it is only a matter of time before Dartmouth residents recognize that the theft of indigenous identity is wrong. It remains to be seen if the Town will make good on what seemed to be a consensus on both sides — that a serious effort has to be made to teach kids far more about native culture than they are currently learning from a green Indian head on a football helmet.
